76 THE GKEYHOUND AND THE NEWFOUNDLAND. 



very great, so that it may well be iniagiued to be a terrible foe to any 

 animals on whom it may choose to make an attack. For this savage 

 nature it has received the name of "Ferox," or "fierce." Its generic 

 name of Cryptoprocta is given to it on account of the manner in which 

 the hinder quarters suddenly taper down and merge themselves in the 

 tail. The word itself is from the Greek, the former half of it sigui- 

 lying "hidden," and the latter half "hind-quarters." 



The color of the Cryptoprocta is a light brown, tinged with red. The 

 ears are very large and rounded, and the feet are furnished with strong 

 claws. The toes are five in number on each foot. 



DOGS. 



The large and important group of animals which is known by the 

 general name of the I^og Tribe embraces the wild and domesticated 

 Dogs, the Wolves, Foxes, Jackals, and that curious South African an- 

 imal, the Hunting Dog. Of these creatures, several have been brought 

 under the authority of man, and by continual intermixtures have as- 

 sumed that exceeding variety of form which is found in the different 

 " breeds " of the domestic Dog. 



The original parent of the Dog is very doubtful, some authors con- 

 sidering that it owes its parentage to the Dhole, or the Buansuah of 

 India, others thinking it to be an offspring of the Wolf, and others at- 

 tributing to the Fox the honor of being the progenitor of our canine 

 friend and ally. 



All the various Dogs which have been brought under the subjection 

 of man are evidently members of one single species, Caiiis familiar is, 

 being capable of variation to an almost unlimited extent. 



It is hardly possible to conceive an animal which is more entirely 

 formed for speed and endurance than a Mell-bred Greyhound. 



The chief use— if use it can be termed — of the Greyhound is in 

 coursing the hare, and it exhibits in this chase its marvellous swiftness 

 and its endurance of fatigue. 



The narrow head and sharp nose of the Greyhound, useful as they 

 are for aiding the progress of the animal by removing every imped- 

 nnent to its passage through the atmosphere, yet deprive it of a most 

 valuable faculty, that of chasing by scent. The muzzle is so narrow 

 in proportion to its length that the nasal nerves have no room for 

 proper development, and hence the animal is very deficient in its 

 powers of scent. The same circumstance may be noted in many 

 other animals. 



The large and handsome animal which is called, from its native 

 country, the Newfoundland Dog, belongs to the group of spaniels, 

 all of which appear to be possessed of considerable mental powers, 



